Ryu Hyun-jin of Toronto Blue Jays Posts Loss Despite Great Start Against Texas

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays posted his third loss of the season on Tuesday despite getting off to his first quality start of the season. 

A starting pitcher records a quality start when he pitches at least six innings and allows three earned runs or fewer. 

Starting in a home game against the Texas Rangers, Ryu pitched six innings and allowed three runs while giving up five hits, including a homer, and one walk and striking out five.

With his perfect control of the ball, he finished the first three innings without giving up any hits.

The left-hander allowed a hit to lead-off hitter Corey Seager in the fourth inning before giving up a two-run homer over the left fence to Robbie Grossman. Ryu gave up another hit to Seager and then a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. By the time he was replaced in the seventh the Blue Jays were trailing 3-0.

Ryu underwent a 14-month rehabilitation after elbow surgery in June last year and returned to the mound last month. He pitched fewer than five innings in each of his previous seven starts since his comeback. But in Tuesday's game, he pitched more than six innings and earned his first quality start in 480 days, since May 21 last year when he pitched six scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Blue Jays' batters failed to earn any runs against Max Scherzer, the Rangers' best starter and the highest-paid pitcher (US$43.3 million) in Major League Baseball. They were scoreless with only three hits until Scherzer came off the mound feeling some pain in his right arm in the sixth inning. 

After Ryu and Scherzer left the mound, both teams scored three points each and the Rangers won 6-3. 

With 17 games left in the regular season, Ryu is expected to start three more games, including the upcoming game against the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 18.